Six appetiser servings, forty-five minutes including the chilling, and five of those minutes are the only cooking in the recipe.
This is a cooked-shrimp ceviche and it says so plainly in its last step. The lime and orange juice are there for flavour and sharpness; the doneness of the shrimp is settled on the hob at 145 degrees Fahrenheit before any of it happens.
Why This Recipe Works
- Two to three minutes in gently boiling water takes shrimp to pink and opaque without turning them rubbery.
- Chilling immediately in ice water stops the carry-over cooking that would otherwise continue on a hot tray.
- Patting them dry keeps the dressing from being watered down.
- Fifteen minutes of chilling lets the onion and chile flavour the dressing before the avocado is anywhere near it.
- Folding the avocado in last is what keeps the cubes distinct rather than mashed through.
Ingredient Notes
- Large shrimp
- A pound, peeled and deveined, poached rather than cured. Cut into bite-size pieces after cooking if they are big.
- Two citrus juices
- A third of a cup of lime against two tablespoons of orange. The orange is small and rounds the lime off rather than sweetening the dish.
- Avocado
- One small, diced, and the only ingredient added after the chilling. Folded rather than tossed, so the cubes survive.
- Salt, divided
- A teaspoon in total: part of it salts the poaching water, the rest goes into the dressing.
How to Make It
Poach to 145F
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a gentle boil. Add shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes until pink, opaque, and 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ice water, then dry
Drain and chill the shrimp immediately in ice water; pat dry and cut into bite-size pieces if large.
Whisk the dressing
Whisk lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, remaining salt, and cumin.
Toss and chill fifteen minutes
Toss cooked shrimp with tomato, red onion, cilantro, and chile. Chill 15 minutes.
Avocado at the end
Fold in avocado just before serving so the cubes remain distinct.
Cold, with lime wedges
Serve cold with lime wedges. This recipe uses cooked shrimp; it does not rely on citrus to make raw seafood safe.
Cooked, Not Cured
A dish called ceviche usually means raw seafood firmed by acid. This one does not, and the difference is a single gate at the very start that everything after it depends on.
- A pot, not a bowl1 lb of peeled and deveined large shrimp into lightly salted water at a gentle boil - part of the 1 tsp of salt the recipe divides between here and the dressing. Two to three minutes, no more: shrimp go from translucent to rubbery quickly.
- Nothing acidic yetNo lime, no orange, no onion. At this point the shrimp are being cooked, and the citrus that gives the dish its name has not been opened.
Check before you continue
145F — Instant-read thermometer, into the thickest shrimp
Pink and opaque AND 145F - the recipe gives both, and 145F is the USDA figure for fish and shellfish. This is the gate: the shrimp are cooked, not raw-cured, because citrus is not heat.
- Ice water, immediatelyDrained and chilled in ice water on the spot, then patted dry and cut into bite-size pieces if large. The ice stops the cooking at 145F rather than letting it carry on.
- Now the citrus1/3 cup lime juice, 2 tbsp orange juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, the remaining salt and 1/4 tsp cumin whisked together, tossed with the shrimp, 1 cup diced tomato, 1/2 cup red onion, 1/2 cup cilantro and 1 sliced chile, then chilled 15 minutes. Flavour, not cooking.
- Avocado last, then cold1 small diced avocado folded in just before serving so the cubes stay distinct, and served cold with lime wedges.
Success Tips
- Have the ice water ready before the shrimp go into the pot; the transfer needs to be immediate.
- Dry the shrimp properly — wet shrimp dilute a dressing built on only a third of a cup of lime juice.
- Fold the avocado in at the table rather than early, so it stays in cubes.
Serving Ideas
Six appetiser servings in a grey bowl, the cooked pink shrimp with diced avocado, red onion and tomato under heavy cilantro in the red-flecked citrus dressing, with lime wedges alongside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a raw ceviche?
No. The shrimp are poached to 145 degrees Fahrenheit first. Citrus juice changes the texture and appearance of seafood, but it is not a substitute for cooking, and this recipe does not treat it as one.
Why is the avocado added last?
Fifteen minutes of chilling and tossing would break the cubes down. Folded in at the end, they stay distinct in the finished bowl.
Can I make it ahead?
The shrimp and vegetables chill for fifteen minutes by design. The avocado goes in just before serving, so that part waits.
